Level Up Learning: The Power of Gamification in Education
Ever find yourself wishing for a magic wand to make learning more engaging for your students? The secret might just lie in gamification.
Gamification in education is about taking the elements your students love in games—like challenges, rewards, and quests—and bringing them into your lessons. It’s not just about making learning fun (although that’s a big part of it), it’s also about boosting engagement and helping students dive deeper into content.
Our blog will explore the benefits of gamification, how to use gamification techniques in planning your lessons, and examples of digital resources.
What is Gamification in Education?
Gamification refers to the integration of game design features into your lessons, like badges, points, levels, and challenges. Gamifying your classroom involves more than playing a game here and there—it can serve as a broad framework for how to structure your instruction.
The goal of gamification in the classroom is to make the process of learning more enjoyable while deepening understanding of concepts and higher-order thinking skills.
Gamification Key Features
Understanding the elements of gamification can help you decide how to incorporate gamification into your daily lessons. You may decide to use one or more elements in your lesson, depending on the content and your students.
Cambridge.org has identified the following common features of games:
- Goals
- Badges for achievements
- Progress bars
- Rules
- Levels
- Rewards, points, and second chances
- Story elements (i.e. plot, characters, setting, role-play)
- Choices
- Competition, cooperation, and challenges
- Time
While there are many digital tools and apps to make gamification in learning easy, it’s important to note that you don’t need to use technology to gamify your classroom.
Benefits of Gamification
Gamifying your classroom can offer a host of benefits for students of all ages and abilities.
Strengthens Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation refers to completing tasks for the inherent satisfaction rather than a reward. In other words, it’s doing something because we enjoy doing it. Gaming in the classroom brings the element of fun into learning.Boosts Active Learning
Research from Carnegie Mellon University shows that using active learning strategies can help students improve their academic performance.Gamification promotes a hands-on approach to learning in the classroom. Instead of passively receiving information, students are actively engaged in the process of learning and making decisions.
Lowers Stress
By incorporating game elements into your lessons, you can make learning feel more like play, reducing the pressure that students may feel in a traditional classroom setting. Additionally, the immediate feedback provided by many digital games allows students to learn from their mistakes without fear of judgment.Gamification in education also encourages a growth mindset, where students view challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement. This shift in mindset can help students approach learning with a more positive attitude, boosting their mental health and overall well-being.
Encourages Collaboration
Gamified activities often require students to work together toward a common goal, allowing them to build collaborative skills. It’s important to structure your activities with clear guidelines and roles for each student to ensure that everyone has a chance to contribute. You can encourage equal participation by rotating leadership roles or setting time limits.Develops Critical Thinking Skills
Research has shown that critical thinking skills are best taught in the context of academic content, rather than in isolation.Games often present students with complex problems that require them to analyze information, make decisions, and strategize their next moves. Students need to approach problems from different angles, consider multiple solutions, and evaluate the consequences of their decisions.
Gaming in the classroom also provides students a chance to learn from their mistakes and apply their knowledge in new situations. By integrating elements like challenges, puzzles, and other problem-solving activities, you can create opportunities for students to think both critically and creatively.
4 Practical Planning Tips
When it comes to gamification in the classroom, the creative possibilities are endless. Though the methods may vary, there are a few common steps that you can take to make the planning process go more smoothly.
1. Assess students
In the initial planning stages, you’ll need to consider your learning targets as well as your students’ interests.
Formative assessments can help you determine where you need to focus your instructional objectives.
Additionally, consider surveying your students to find out what kinds of games they’re interested in. Do they like strategy, role-playing, or adventure games? Use this information to guide you as you plan.
2. Select gaming elements
As you map out your unit, you’ll find that some lessons lend themselves more easily to gaming elements. This will help you determine the best way to incorporate gaming into your classroom.
For example, grades can be stressful for some students. Try using “experience points” or XP instead. Many students respond better to this type of system because instead of working their way down from 100%, they’re working their way up from 0 XP.
Sometimes using gaming terms can be a simple way to incorporate gamification in the classroom. As students progress through a unit, they may “level up” after completing homework, quizzes, etc.
3. Gather resources
As you begin to think about gamifying your classroom, it’s helpful to create a database of both digital edtech tools and physical materials to reference as you plan.
Start by researching existing educational games and gamification platforms to gather ideas and inspiration. Look for resources that align with your curriculum goals and teaching style.
Collaborate with colleagues to exchange ideas and discover new resources. Consider using digital tools and apps that support gamification, such as game-based learning platforms, interactive whiteboard games, or educational apps with built-in gamified elements.
Additionally, explore non-digital resources such as board games, card games, and other hands-on materials that can be adapted for classroom use.
4. Create an instruction manual
Everyone will benefit from having an instruction manual to understand how gamification will work in your classroom. Since gaming in the classroom will be new for many kids, it’ll be helpful for them to have a student-friendly guide.
Making an instruction manual for implementing gamification in your classroom involves several key steps.
- Start by clearly defining your objectives and the desired learning outcomes.
- Provide detailed instructions on how students will earn points or badges, progress through levels, and how these elements tie into the overall learning goals.
- Outline any rules or guidelines for gameplay, including how students should interact within the game environment.
Examples of Gamification Tools
No matter how you gamify your classroom, there are many resources available to choose from. Below, we’ve gathered a few of our favorite tools.
Badge Design
Canva
Design your own badges with Canva’s free badge logo maker.Classroom Badge Maker
Create unlimited badges, assign points to students, and publish results in Google Classroom.
Digital Assessments
Blooket
Create your own question set or choose from pre-made options on this interactive assessment platform. Select from a variety of game modes.Gimkit
Build an interactive review game show tailored to your students’ needs with this adaptable site.
Gaming Platforms
Goosechase
Grades K–12
Create interactive, customizable scavenger hunts and track live results as students complete their missions.Gameful.me
Grades K–12
Design personalized learning paths for students with this gamification platform.Arcademics
Grades 1–6
Discover multiplayer games in a range of subject areas on this free website.Minecraft: Education
Grades 1–8
Turn this familiar video game into an educational experience with pre-made lessons, cross-curricular connections, and collaborative tasks.Knowre
Grades 1–12
Find personalized math support with gamified feedback on this gaming platform.Brainscape
Grades 1–12
Create your own flashcards or use pre-loaded sets using this adaptive learning app.
By setting clear objectives and choosing the right tools, we can harness the power of gamification in the classroom to boost learning and guide students to reach their full potential.
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